Days At A Time
by Soft Ragoo
Summary: One-shot chapters following up on the 'Days Like This' family. Reading the full story beforehand would make much more sense. ;  ExB and Sunshine    AH, of course
1. Chapter 1

_A/N ~ This bonus chapter of 'Days Like This', though not Christmas themed, was created as a Christmas gift for GinnyW_31 - just because she's awesome with sharing. ;) And I know she'd share with sshg316, 'cause she's awesome in her own rights and deserves a Christmas Daddyward bonus too. :D Thanks for everything these past months. *squishes both*_

_In fact, I don't think they'd mind if everyone shared. :) Merry Christmas all. Hope everyone enjoys the holidays! I will keep this open for future one-shot chapters that may come about until I am feeling well enough to start another full-length story. Thanks for reading. XX ~ SR_

* * *

_**Special Delivery  
A 'Days Like This' Addendum**_

**BPOV**

"No further, Juliet. Let's wait for Daddy." My anxious daughter was standing on the second step in the pool as I sat on the edge and held her hands.

"Pool! Mummah!" She bounced up and down as she tugged on my hands. Water on her legs only was not good enough.

"No pool, Juliet!" I replied in a playful voice, trying to emulate Edward. "Not yet. Wait for Daddy, he'll be out very soon."

"Ammommmm!"

Her toddler screech typically made me react one of two ways – with an instant headache or tearful, nostalgic eyes. She always reverted to her old 'Amom' when she was overtired or about to pitch a fit. Even though this was a fit-pitching Amom, it made me think of the days when Edward started taking her to the pool. He'll tease me when he comes out, I thought. I'm back to the days of not going in with them. I didn't feel comfortable at this stage of my pregnancy. I didn't trust myself to be fully responsible for Juliet so we always waited for Edward for her swim. Even being in with them, I'd taken a few kicks to the belly and slipped many times. And my belly was smaller then. It seemed to have expanded several inches in the last week or so. My back felt it too. I arched backwards and pulled Juliet towards me.

"Got kisses for the baby?"

That got her mind off a tantrum. She placed her kiss and then… blew her wet raspberry (!). Very pleased with the sound it made on my damp, bare skin, she giggled and clapped as I held onto her waist. I only put on swimwear with Juliet and Edward present, so I had never bothered with a maternity suit. I was still in my bikini, letting it all hang out. Edward loved it and Juliet got much amusement from it. It didn't distract her quite long enough, however.

"Pool! Mummah… up!"

If my little girl thought she could move a beached whale, more power to her. Screeching was replaced with pouting. "That works best with Daddy. You know that."

"What works best with Daddy?" Edward asked through the window of the kitchen.

"Pouts," I called back. "Can you bring me some lemonade when you come out?"

"Will you pout for me too if I don't?"

I leaned back and gave him my best pout.

"Ahhhh, thank you. I'll be right down to nibble." Much quicker than I could get through the house these days, he was outside with a glass of lemonade for me and a sippy cup of juice for Juliet. He set them down on the table before diving into the opposite end of the pool, emerging in front of us by the steps.

"Daddad!" Juliet smiled brightly and clapped for him.

"Sunshine! I thought you were pouting. I don't see any pouts. Is it hidden behind here?" He nuzzled behind one of her ears, drawing out her throaty laugh. "Nope, it is… here?" The other ear got the same laugh. "Nope. No pouts! Maybe Mommy was the only one pouting." He picked Juliet up so he could get near enough to give me the nibble he had promised. "No pouts there either. Oh no! Is the baby pouting?"

"Baby," Juliet repeated and pointed to my belly.

"Is our baby pouting, Sunshine? I don't think our baby should be unhappy, ever. Let's give the baby some lovin'."

I giggled as they both went at me and our Little One reacted, as always, to Daddy's voice and touch. "This one's a kick boxer for sure!"

"Hip-hop dancer," he beamed. "Are you coming in with us? I'll keep this one's feet in the opposite direction." He nibbled on her toes before dunking her, much to her delight.

I begged out and went to get my lemonade. More than anything, I loved watching them together anyway. Edward had succeeded in winding our Little One up and I was having trouble finding a comfortable seated position. "Are you sitting on… everything in there?" I teased as I rubbed my belly. Little One calmed down with the feel of my gentle circles. At least the pressure was off my tailbone for the time being. I tilted the chair back slightly and was dozing when my pool monkeys finally got out.

Edward dripped water on me as he leaned over to kiss me. I opened one eye and smiled through his kiss. "Hi."

"Hi."

"I saw you made a salad, want me throw on something now to go with it? Chicken, burgers… what?"

I shrugged. "I'll eat anything, you know that. Juliet won't eat either so it's entirely up to you. Oh! I forgot to take meatballs out of the freezer… help me up?" Juliet was in a picky stage – she only ate meatballs, noodles and crackers. Well, for me that's all she ate. Daddy's Girl would eat anything he presented to her most times. "Umph!" I grunted as my ever-helpful husband hauled me up from the chair.

"Sore?"

"Ugh. My back. I should have kept Juliet on the first step so I wasn't bent over." I reached behind to pick the bikini out of my butt. "And I'm wet, thanks to your graceful little dive. You soaked the chair!" I hoped it was pool water. Looking around, nothing else seemed to have gotten in the splash line. Crap. "Or I wet myself."

Amusement flicked through Edward's eyes.

"Shut up! Your baby's been rolling on my bladder all afternoon!"

"_My_ baby? Not _ours_?"

"Nope," I laughed. "Only your baby would make me pee my pants."

"Oh my god, you are so incredibly sexy…"

"Shut up!" I laughed as I stole his towel to wrap around my waist.

"Seriously. Is it wrong that I'm turned on right now?"

I giggled while he kissed me. I think he was only half joking and it was about the sweetest thing he could do. All throughout my blossoming pregnancy, he had found new ways to make me feel beautiful instead of puffy. "As hot as this is, Edward, I'm a little too wet to enjoy this as much as I'd like to."

Kneeling down, he skilfully stripped off my bikini bottoms under the towel. "Problem solved," he smirked.

"And my aching back?"

"Okay. You go lay down for a bit, see if that helps. I'll get Juliet fed and then come give you a long back rub. Good?"

"Perrrrfect, thank you. Have I told you how awesome you are?"

"Pfft. Everyone does. I'm going to patent myself. Mass market my clones and ship them off to women everywhere."

"Hmm. Will your clones possess the humility you're currently lacking?" I teased as we went inside. "Oops! Seems my top came undone…"

I could hear his laughter as I headed off for the bathroom. "I'll be joining you shortly! Don't bother replacing that!" he called out. And I didn't. I had a quick rinse in the shower and put some dry panties on before I laid on my side and closed my eyes.

It must have been some time later because the room was much darker when I felt Edward's hands gently kneading just the right spots. "Are you hungry?" he whispered when I moaned in delight. "Juliet's fed, bathed and ready for bed. She came for kisses. I let you sleep, but you should eat something."

My stomach grumbled in response. "I guess that means I am!" Edward slipped my favourite comfy tee over my head, pausing to nuzzle my neck. Mmmm… food first… I shoved my arms through the holes and stood slowly. And then I felt it…

"Uh-oh." Juliet's finger pointed to the puddle I was standing in.

"Uh-oh's right!" I looked back at Edward and he leaned over the bed to see what the issue was. "I didn't even feel that coming! Or that!" I exclaimed as I felt another trickle down my leg.

"Bella…" Edward was across the bed and on his feet, in my puddle, before I knew what hit me. His hands held my shoulders and urged me back down. "Lay back. I think your water broke." He picked Juliet up and placed her on the bed with me so she wouldn't explore in the puddle. "How do you feel?"

"Fine! It can't be… I'm not having contractions. As soon as it broke with Juliet, there was a massive amount of pain."

"But you said your back has been sore…"

I gave him a one-eyed glare. "Do you really think I don't know what labour pains feel like? I've got a sore back and a drippy bladder and oh!" The first squeeze hit. Dammit. Why did he always have to be right? Pregnancy was my area of knowledge, he takes the babies afterwards. Grrr! "Okay. My water could possibly have broken."

I watched his face run a series of expressions before he settled on serious. "Right. Okay. Um… the list…"

"By your pager," I reminded him.

"Right. Okay. The time! I'll start timing the contractions. We can't mess around and wait too long. The second one could come fast and your scheduled c-section's still more than a week away."

"I don't think I'll have a week-long labour…"

"Of course not! You'll have to have the surgery early!"

"I was joking…"

"I should call the hospital – let them know we're coming…"

"No way! Edward, I'm not showing up there until we know I'm actually _in labour_! Do you know how embarrassed I'll be if I'm not? Imagine the teasing you'll get bringing your pregnant wife in because she peed her pants!"

He took a deep breath and tugged on his hair extra hard. "You're right. Okay. We'll see if you have another contraction and then I'll call the hospital and… who's going to take Juliet? Mom and Dad are still on their holiday… Alice?"

At the same time, I said, "Rosalie?"

"And Charlie… I imagine he'll want to be with us at the hospital."

"We'll ask. He's not exactly comfortable seeing me in pain."

He nodded, giving his hair another work over. He will so be bald one day. "I'll call the hospital and my sister. You call your dad and Alice. Your bag is ready… Juliet will stay here?"

"It's easier," we said in unison.

"Right. Okay." He blew out a long breath, looking like he was going to pass out. I pulled him down to sit beside Juliet and I. "You're so relaxed! We're about to have a baby! How can you be so calm?"

"I have no idea," I giggled as I snuggled up to him. "Actually, I do. You. Having you here makes all the difference. I was _freaking_ with Juliet."

"Mummah, uh-oh!" Juliet was still fascinated with the puddle.

"Yes, Sunshine. Mommy made an uh-oh. Thank you for reminding us." I gathered her in my arms and smothered her with kisses. My baby girl! That started the opening of the floodgates and the tears poured from me all the while another soft contraction gripped my stomach. We were about to have another baby!

"Bella! Is this one bad? Should I call for an ambulance?" Edward grabbed a shirt from the dirty clothes basket and mopped up my puddle before tossing it back in. "That's… oh god! I don't remember what time the first one was!"

"It's okay!" I cried out through my hormonal sobs. "It's not bad. We have time… oh no! I don't have enough meatballs made for Juliet! I'll be in the hospital at least a few days… more! This Little One is early too! Oh Edward!" My calmness was lost in my desperate cling to my husband and then he was my rock.

"It'll be fine, Bella. Shhh. Rosalie and Alice and Grumpy… they'll all make sure she's got meatballs. And I'll be back and forth. They may even get her to eat something else… We'll work it out. You're not alone." He stroked my hair and my back, wiping my tears and he shushed me and rocked me.

"Mummah?" Juliet stood and kissed my cheek, staring at me with deep concern. And then she looked to Edward. She knew, just as I did, Daddy would make everything alright. I wrapped both of them in a tight hug and pulled myself together. We could do this.

"I'm actually… really hungry."

"You can't eat, Bella. They may have to use a general…"

"No!"

"We won't have a choice in an emergency and I'm not putting you at risk. No food. Sorry."

Dammit! We had an arrangement – my doctor and I! He promised this would not be like my first. There would be no crisis, no rush… it's all planned out ahead. It was even scheduled ahead of my due date to avoid another emergency c-section. We would just come in, have a nice spinal block and be fully numb chest down, and I'd be fully awake to meet our baby. _'No pain… until afterwards. Sorry, that can't be helped.' _I knew that well. I had all but forgotten the intense pain of my labour, but I still vividly recalled the agony of my long recovery. This time would be different though. This time, I'd have Edward with me at home. "Can I shower at least?"

"We'll come with you… just in case. I'll make my calls."

And just like that, Edward was back in control and I was calm as well. The contractions, though light, were coming closer together than either of us cared for so we ended up heading for the hospital, taking Juliet with us. Edward had gotten hold of Emmett and Rosalie as well as Charlie and I called Alice and Jasper on the way. Charlie had a spare key, he would go to our house and wait for whoever brought Juliet home and then he'd come to the hospital. It was all going smooth as silk… perfect, just like my life…

Until they gave me the news that I would have to wait for my doctor to do the surgery since "we had time" and there would be no epidural. Nope, no ma'am. Not until my doctor was ready to operate. If they waited too long and I ended up knocked out for the birth of our baby… grrr! My perfectly light, sweet-reminders-of-Little-One's-arrival contractions intensified and I was _NOT_ in my happy place!

* * *

**EPOV**

"Okay. Well, Mommy's not feeling too well right now. She's a little upset." As a doctor, I should have felt at home, but in this situation my nerves were raw. I was more than a little uncomfortable and I couldn't do a thing for my wife since I wasn't her doctor. It made me feel less than useless. I could, however, offer comfort to my little girl.

"Mwah!" Juliet blew her a kiss. Sweetheart.

"Thank you Sunshine!" Bella uttered through clenched teeth. I wiped the sweat from her brow and offered a weak smile. "Take her out!"

I didn't wait for a second issue of that command. I high-tailed it to the waiting room where I could soothe Juliet more easily. I knew I could handle that efficiently.

"Dr Cullen… Edward! That is you! Oh my, we miss you here!" One of the regular L&D nurses came rushing over. She had always been my favourite and jesus… her name escaped me. It began with a 'G'… I was certain of that…

"I still come down here! You're just not in on my Sunday night shift!"

"Is this your little one?"

"No, this is my Sunshine!" I grinned and Juliet wrapped her arms around my neck a little tighter, playing shy. "This is Juliet. Our Little One is in there… still in Mommy's belly, right Sunshine?"

"Baby!" she beamed.

"Bella's here? Ohhhh… it's… soon, isn't it?"

I nodded rapidly. "Are you…"

"On duty…?"

"With Bella? Please? There's no epidural and she's not very happy…"

A gentle hand gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Relax. Take care of your Sunshine! I'll take care of her Mommy. You can take her to the nursery…"

"No no. We've got back-up coming. My sister's on her way…" Alice arrived first.

"Jazz is outside… he's soooo sorry…"

"I know." I hadn't expected Jasper to actually make it inside. Hospitals weirded him out for some reason. I didn't get it, but I was fine with it.

"Can I see Bella? And then we'll take Juliet home. Charlie's there already, he just called us."

"Thank you Alice," I grinned, shoving her towards Bella's room and covering Juliet's ears as it opened. She placed her tiny hands over my ears as well and I chuckled against her head, willing tears not to come. Bella needed me to be calm and confident about all of this. I couldn't fall apart just yet.

"Edwaaaard!"

"No!" I held my hand up to my sister as she raced for me, already in tears herself. "No way, Rosalie. You are not gonna get me crying right now! Just back off."

She held back with an impish grin and whispered, "You're gonna have a _ba-by_!" Her hands went instinctively to her own round belly. We'd be back here in just a couple of months with her big event.

Rose had Juliet, Emmett was keeping Jasper company until Alice finished up, so I took a moment to peek in at my wife. She smiled over at me angelically. Aw, my brave girl was handling this so much better. It was good she had Alice-time. "How's my baby?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"She's fine. Rosalie's here! They're discussing all the things the three girls are going to do this week." I nudged Alice and she clapped in delight. Huh… had she adopted that from Juliet or had Juliet picked it up from her? I wondered if she stood there clapping while Jazz taught my Sunshine how to accomplish the wettest raspberries ever blown.

"That's great, honey. You're the best. You all are… I lo… _love you… soooo MUCH… AHHHHHH! Oh! Oh!_ Holy jeepers this one hurrrrrts!"

Alice giggled. "Lost the potty mouth since the first time round. Jeepers? That's all you got?"

"Eff-off Alice!"

I had to chuckle at that one myself. Until I got the look – the one that told me it was time to take my position by my wife's side as she laboured through the birth of our child. Okay… Bella had an effing fantastic grip. I smiled around clenched teeth and blew out as she did when the contraction ended. And that grip was nothing compared to the super squeeze power she mustered while the epidural finally got administered. Not to sound narcissistic, but I think that was just as difficult for me as it was her.

Once that took place, it was a whirlwind of activity. My pain-free Bella was back and she was overflowing with excitement but I was being shooed out to scrub up for the OR. I took a moment with her before leaving, brushing her hair off her face and leaning over for a kiss. "I have to go get sterilized…"

She smirked at me. "You'd better be talking about de-germing yourself. I do want more babies with you."

My Bella… "First things first, let's get this Little One out and see how our combined genes worked out," I teased before moving down to her belly. "Okay, it's showtime! I can't wait to get my hands on you, Little One. Believe me when I say, you will be one overly loved baby. See you really, really soon." I placed one last kiss on my baby behind the belly and smiled at Bella. "See you in there."

Positioned by my wife's head for the onset of the surgery, I stroked her head and we gazed lovingly at each other. It was all I could do to keep from hovering over the opening below to grab a peek.

"We'll have your baby out in approximately 10 seconds, are you ready? We can't undo this!" Bella's doctor, attempting to be humorous.

"Go see," Bella kissed my hand and released me. With only seconds to spare, I hesitated for a few of them while I debated waiting until we could both see our baby together. "Edward, go! Tell me how perfect our baby is."

I blew out a breath behind my mask and quickly moved down the table a foot to peer around the surgical tent just as the doctor's hands went in for our Little One. I could see a leg and the tiniest little toes. My eyes flooded with tears so I couldn't count them.

"Well? What do you see?" Bella called out anxiously.

"Ah! A bum! I see the cutest little bum!"

Bella giggled and then groaned in frustration. "Is the bum attached to a boy or a girl?"

"Um…" I leaned in for a closer look at the doctor cleared the airway, turning the baby towards me for the first cry. I choked on a sob. "We have a baby girl, Bella. And she's beautiful and perfect…" I was instructed to cut the umbilical cord with much jeering over my shaky hands. Our daughter was quickly wiped down and wrapped. And then she was placed in my arms. Oh. My. God. I had held hundreds of newborns and loved every minute of it. Nothing could have prepared me for this moment, holding my very own newborn. "Hi," I whispered as I cradled her. "I'm Daddy. And I think we've got a very anxious Mommy waiting to see just how beautiful you are." I placed the first of what would be millions of kisses on her head and held her over Bella so she could have a look and get her kisses in as well.

"Hello, sweet Little One! I've had so much fun playing with you these past months. Oh my god, Edward. She's so tiny…"

"Like her sister," I smiled. "We have _two_ daughters, Bella. Can you believe it?"

Her laugh rang out even while her tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. "You'll be bald before you know it. But don't worry, we'll still love you. All of your girls… me, Juliet… Nicole…"

Fresh tears formed. "Yeah?" We had discussed using Nicholas' name if we had a son. Bella understood my bond with him and I thought it was a sweet gesture. We hadn't come to an agreement on girl names, except that we'd see what she looked like, if we had a girl.

"Yeah, she looks like a Nicole."

"She looks like an angel…"

"We can't call her Angel, Edward."

"Nicole then," I agreed with a smile. As soon as our little chat paused, I was quickly reminded by the staff of "preemie procedure" to which I retorted, "I am her paediatrician _AND_ father! I know what needs to be done." That didn't exactly cover it. She would still need tests performed and Bella gave me her nod that it was okay to leave her and tend to our daughter. I was met with the baby cart at the OR door. I stared at it and then the nurse… Geri? Gwen? Something 'G'… "She's not going in that."

"Procedure, Doctor…"

I raised an eyebrow as I secured Nicole in one arm and held onto the cart with the other. "You should know by now that I have my own procedure."

"And you should know by now that I didn't see anything out of the ordinary when you left with the baby," she winked, holding the door open for me. "Congrats, Dad. She's a cutie."

Two very sleepy but anxious people looked up when I passed by the waiting room. I stopped at the glass, proudly displaying my newest daughter and they rushed out. "A girl. We have two little girls," I announced. Rosalie threw her arm around me, kissed my cheek and gazed down at the tiny bundle in my arms with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Wow." Emmett was enthralled. "She's… so… tiny… and…" He looked up at me. "Perfect."

I had never seen Emmett at a loss for words. I expected him to be a little terrified throughout our delivery, knowing that he would be in my position soon enough but he was calm and utterly mesmerized. His hand reached out and stroked Nicole's cheek very softly.

"Em, you look like a giant next to her. Your finger is as long as her head," Rose said quietly.

"She's perfect, Edward. Oh my god. Look at her! Can I…" He held his giant hands out. "Can I hold her?"

I snuck a peek over my shoulder. "I have to take her for tests, but yeah… briefly."

"Bella?" Rose grabbed my arm when I placed my baby in Emmett's secure arms. "Is Bella okay? Charlie's here… he just went for coffee."

"She's good," I smiled as I wrapped my sister in a hug. "She's really great. They're closing her up. I want to get Nicole cleaned up and make sure everything is as is should be before I take her to her mom in recovery."

"Nicole?" Emmett and Rosalie asked together. I nodded through tears and didn't hold my sister back when she clung to me.

"She'll be a fighter then, huh? Hey sweet Nicole, I'm your Uncle Em and I'm gonna make sure you never have to fight a day in your life. I'm big and goofy and you probably won't ever believe a word I say, but I've got your back. And we're gonna have so much fun together. Want to meet your Aunt Rosie? She'll be the one who spoils you. You'll love her. Like we all do."

Watching him gingerly place my baby in her arms, I knew they'd be awesome together when their baby arrived. My sister was now speechless as she stared down at her new niece. She simply held her, rocking her and cooing and placing soft kisses on her head. "Dad called. They're at the airport, waiting for stand-by tickets. They said to tell you they'll be here ASAP."

"I'll give them a call when I'm through with the tests. I should take her now before I get caught. And go home, get some rest! I'll see you tomorrow."

Charlie and I met, grin to grin as we rounded the corner. "Your newest granddaughter!"

His eyes glistening, he cleared his throat. "A girl huh? Huh…" He took her from me as he cleared his throat again. "It's just like holding Bella for the first time… is she…"

"She's fine, Charlie. She's great. You'd be so proud of her…"

"I am, son. Every day, my girl does me proud. And this Little One…"

I held back a chuckle. Even Grumpy was using our pet name. "I have to take her down for tests – it's standard – but she appears to be fine, too. We've named her Nicole."

The corner of Charlie's moustache twitched. "Well Nicole, I'm Grumpy… by name, not by nature. Not anymore anyway… well, you can ask your sister what the deal is with me. She's got me wrapped around her finger."

"I'm sure Juliet will teach her everything she knows," I agreed, in the exact same position as Charlie. They owned me. All of them. He headed to the recovery area to wait for Bella while I carried on with my daughter.

Testing done, and looking very positive, I gave Nicole a light washing before I diapered her for the first time. "Let's make you real pretty for Mommy. I bet she's all stitched up and itching to get her arms around you. I have to tell you something Nicole… you've got the best Mommy in the world." I swaddled her in a soft blanket before picking her up. "But you know that already, don't you? Do you know how much we love you? Do you know we've loved you right from the start? Your big sister too! You will love Juliet. She'll be your best friend. Always." I cradled her near my heart, tilting my head down to gaze at her and inhale her scent. "Baby girl, I've been waiting for you for so long. I've dreamed about you. And I promise… I swear to you… I will love you more and more every day for the rest of my life."

She made soft grunts as her eyes blinked adjusting to the bright lights. I smiled as she yawned and rocked her, laughing softly as her mouth closed into an 'O' with her little tongue visible. "Are you ready to eat, Little One? You look like you're sucking on a lollipop." Touching her chin, she opened wide. "Ohhhh, Mommy's gonna love you. You're a natural." And when she closed, she went back to the lollipop look. For some reason, this brought out a flood of emotion as I realized she already had her own little things… her own personality, her own quirks. My baby wasn't merely the creation of Bella and I, nor was she a replacement for my baby that never was, or the child I'd cared for and lost… she was her own person and she was… absolutely perfect.

I had to sit with her for several minutes while I regained control of my emotions. "Well, Little Lolly, we should go see Mommy. You and I will have lots more times like this, I promise. Any time you want to talk, I'll be here. If you need a hug, I'll be here. I will be here for you, for whatever you need, always. Know that right now, okay? You and your sister and Mommy, you're my life… and I love everything about each one of you. Daddy loves you, Nicole - my special little girl with the lollipop mouth. You're beautiful and perfect and you're my life. And you will probably get sick of hearing it, but I will make sure you know that I love you every day that I breathe…" I continued whispering to her that way our whole journey back and into the recovery room, dragging our cart along.

Bella was anxious, but relatively calm. I still recalled how emotional she was after Juliet and was steeling myself for Insanely Hormonal Bella. After she held our daughter and heard how all her tests went, we focused on getting her out of recovery and into her room. Once settled and Nicole was latched on for her first nursing, I confessed that I anticipated a lashing for keeping her away for so long.

Grabbing onto my hand, Bella pulled me closer to the edge of her bed. "Edward, you need to know that I trust you implicitly. It was different with Juliet… she was mine. Just mine. I was the only one she had to keep her safe until…" The quiet tears started. "Until you fell in love with us. And us, with you. It's different now because our girls have two parents and I know that there is no one they'll be safer with than their Daddy."

Bringing her hand to my lips, I kissed it and held it to my heart. "You are everything to me, Bella. I am so grateful for every day with you and…" I took one hand from hers and rested it on Nicole. "Our girls. I'm so proud of you. Of all of you."

"Stop making me cry…"

"You stop making _me_ cry!" I teased and kissed her hand again. Nicole had fallen asleep so I took her and made sure she didn't have a gas bubble before laying her in her cart. She would have to spend the rest of the night in the nursery… damned procedures.

"You should get some sleep. Juliet will be up soon. I want her here…"

I laid out beside Bella after the nurse took Nicole away, letting her snuggle into me. "I can't wait to see her face when she sees Baby," I beamed. "I wonder how quickly I can teach her to say 'Nicole'?"

"Oooh, yeah. That'll be a tough one for her." A broad smile spread across Bella's face. "But I have complete faith in you and your abilities to teach our girls anything."

We drifted off to sleep together – Bella, drug induced and myself, in exhaustion – dreaming of days to come with our dream family.


	2. Our Baby

_**Our Baby  
A Days Like This Addendum**_

**BPOV**

I woke the next morning with the nurse checking my IV. Thank God for a morphine drip… I felt groggy, but otherwise pretty great. Fabulous, in fact, when I looked over and saw my perfectly smexy husband asleep in the chair by the window. His mouth hung open as he snored softly. His hair was a complete wreck – worse than sex hair – and he looked gorgeous. I wanted to go straddle him and whisper naughty things in his ear; nibble on his chin that was now covered in day-old stubble. How could it be that I fell deeper in love with this man with each day we had together? Now, more than ever, I longed to feel his arms around me. I wanted those long, well-practiced fingers trailing over my skin. His soft lips on mine before he gently nibbled on my bottom lip. God, I loved when he did that…

I hadn't paid attention to the restrictions on sex after a c-section with Juliet. There was no need. And I hadn't been given a refresher on that – not that I recalled anyway. How many weeks before I could get at him again? I wanted him in a chair, just like that. His hips were perched on the very edge so he could slouch enough to support his head on the back of the chair. I wasn't sore. It wasn't like I was stretched out and cut (or worse, ripped) and stitched up… maybe I could just go for a little ride. Would anyone know? Really?

My cheeks grew hot as I realized I was playing out this fuckhot fantasy with my smexy husband in my mind as his co-worker took my temperature. "Want some help getting to the washroom?" she asked in a low voice so as not to disturb him.

I nodded and took the help standing up for the first time. Okay… not so great after all. The room kind of spun and I was gripped with cramps even before the first step. Sex in a chair would not be happening anytime soon! Holding in my groans, I clenched my stomach as the nurse wheeled my IV along with me so I could take care of business.

Edward was waiting with red-rimmed, but excited eyes when I came out. "Everything okay? Do you feel alright?"

"I feel like an alien was left in my belly and it's chewing its way out of my gut from the inside. No! I don't feel alright!" I snapped at him and then felt horrible the instant I saw the concern and guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't handle pain well when I'm hormonal. I'm fine. This is normal, right? Being a grumbling bitch?"

Tenderly, he helped me get back into bed. The uncomfortable plastic-backed pad on the bed crumpled up even more uncomfortably under my butt. My anger switched to self-pity and I couldn't hold back the sobs or whining. "It's bad enough the pad I'm wearing feels like a diaper, do they have to flatten one out for me to lay on too? Can't they just drill a hole through the mattress and let me bleed into a bucket under the bed?"

Edward smiled at me tentatively. "Put your arm around me and lift your bum. I'll put a new one down that's not all crinkled."

And, cue the hormones – a floodgate opened and I was sobbing out apologies for being bitchy and whiny and needy and fat and post-surgery bloated/smelly/gross – and he just held me all the while. His arms were strong and supportive around me. _This_ is what I had missed out on with Juliet's birth. I relaxed with his soothing and eventually he got my bed straightened out with my cooperation.

"I'm sorry Edward," I said softly as he fussed over getting every crinkle out of the sheet that annoyed me. "This makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it? Don't lie and tell me it's okay… I know you. I can see it in your eyes. You hate this part."

He snickered, running his hands through his hair. "I hate this part," he admitted. "But I love you. I guess that's what you're seeing. I'm used to new moms and their unpredictability and I'm mostly able to get through it without a hitch but with you, it's different. I feel useless, Bella. You're in pain and I want to take it away. Babies are easy for me – they cry and I just hold them until they feel content and safe and if I can't handle their moms, well, they're not my responsibility in the first place. But you are. You're my life. My whole world. I hate seeing you in pain and knowing that I can't do a thing about it."

"You're Charlie," I giggled. "He spent all of five minutes with me in recovery before I made him leave. He was soooo uncomfortable. I'm not sending you away though. You got me here, you're staying." I tugged on the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Bella…" He broke our kiss and eased back. "I'll be here for you, always… but right now... if you're alright…"

"You want to go see Nicole," I smiled.

He grinned widely. "I need to check on her. And Juliet – I should go home quickly and see how she's doing with both of us gone. Would that be alright?"

Squeezing him as tightly as I could, I ran kisses along his jawline. "Brush your teeth first though. Nicole's so tiny and fragile and she can't hold her breath."

The nervousness in Edward's eyes was replaced with amusement. "Keeping it real, huh baby? That's what I love about you." I gave his butt a swat as he turned away from me and grabbed our bag of provisions. "Now now Mrs Cullen. Behave yourself and I'll bring back a tiny pink angel once I'm done in the washroom."

I was a bubble of excitement when he walked in with our new daughter. All my memories of newborn Juliet came rushing back, seeing how tiny Nicole was in his arms. And his face… the pure adoration on his face as he smiled down at our Little One was bliss for me. It made every cramp and searing pain worth it to make him this happy.

"Oh! Bring her here! Is she okay? Was she alright in the nursery?"

"She's great! And beautiful." He was beaming with pride. "And hungry! She was crying when I got to her, they were about to feed her. I told her to wait for Mommy."

"And she listened," I smiled as he set her in my arms.

"She's a good girl, of course she listened."

"Hi Nicole! Hi, my sweet baby girl. Oh look at her mouth Edward! She is ready to nurse." She looked like a little bird waiting to be fed; her tiny mouth open and she was sucking on her own tongue. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Edward swung a leg onto the bed beside me as he wrapped an arm around us. "Like Mommy but… you have to see something. I don't know what happened overnight, but…" He pulled the blanket back from her head to reveal the soft peach fuzz she had for hair.

My eyes widened. "It wasn't red yesterday! Was it?"

"Not this red!" He laughed. "Sorry. It might change more. Maybe it's the light."

"Did you get Daddy's hair Nicole? I hope you got his eyes too. You'll be the most beautiful little girl who ever lived. Yes you will! We'll have a better look later. Hungry? Ready for breakfast?" I was ready. My boobs had been achy since I saw them walk in but now they were painful and rock hard.

Edward helped me arrange a pillow to support my arm and held her while I shimmied one arm out of the hospital gown. I had never thought I'd be a mom who thoroughly enjoyed nursing her baby – it had been such a rough start with Juliet, but I was looking forward to it with Nicole. I had become a pro, with Edward's help. He kissed my head as we snuggled together for her first real feeding. It still wasn't real milk, but was anxious for whatever I could provide. She was having trouble latching on with the hardness and her tiny mouth and I got frustrated. Edward took off to the bathroom when I started crying. Chicken.

"Here… try this." He had a washcloth in his hand.

"I don't think she wants a bath, Edward. I know you're the baby expert, but I'm her mom and I know she wants to eat." I cringed at my own words. I couldn't be so persistent in being her sole nurturer – this little wonder had a daddy too.

"This is for you. For your boobies actually," he smiled as he shifted the loose gown down my other shoulder and placed the cloth on my breast. "You're engorged. It'll help. I'll just get you a blanket to cover up and a dry gown for after…"

I grabbed his hand as he went to move away. "I'm not so shy this time Doctor. And Nicole should get used to having her Daddy sit with us while we nurse. Come back with us." The warm cloth felt great on my stripper boob, but my husband felt better. Soon, the familiar tingling that had annoyed the hell out of me for months when we first met was very welcome and I was softened up enough to nurse our baby properly. She was a natural, for sure. "She has Daddy's mouth too," I whispered to him with a sly grin and giggled when he blushed. "I hope she blushes like you too."

"Oh no! Don't wish that on her! Sure, it's adorable for us to look at, but she'll hate me for it later on. The hair is enough. I hope it's just my colouring and not a complete wreck. She'll hate me for sure."

"She'll love you," I said with soft insistence. "Just like your other girls."

A smile spread across his face. "Juliet… I miss my Sunshine."

I sent him off, assuring him we would both be fine. Of course, I missed him desperately the second he was out of sight but our daughter wiggled in my arms and I got lost in her. "I love you so much Nicole. You will never believe how much until you hold your own little baby this way. And your Daddy… oh my gosh. You are the luckiest little girl ever! He's just so… well, you'll see!" I giggled as I held her up to my cheek. "Daddy has big plans for you and your sister. I can't wait for you to meet each other."

Familiar voices woke me soon after. My perfect little girl had fallen asleep as I talked to her and I hadn't been long behind. These were some good drugs. I smiled when the voices grew nearer and opened my eyes.

"Oh honey! We woke you, I'm so sorry!" Esme was at my side, Carlisle just behind her, grinning ear to ear.

"It's okay… I just dozed… drugs…" I explained in a croaky voice. "You made it! So fast… I'm sorry we ruined your vacation!"

Both of my parents-in-law broke into laughter. "We spent the entire time talking about this moment, Bella. Nothing was ruined at all," Carlisle assured me.

"I'm sorry we missed all of it. How are you dear? Are you in a lot of pain?"

I shook my head. "Drugs…"

"Wonderful stuff," Carlisle chuckled. "If you need anything, we're here to help. How's our little Nicole? We spoke with Edward before we got on the plane… Nicole, 5lbs, 9ozs. Good size for a preemie."

I beamed in realization that she was over the preemie weight for concern… no extended stay! "Want to hold her? Wait 'til you see… she has Edward's hair!"

They both frowned even while smiling. "We're sorry about that. She can grow it out, it'll be lovely. It's just the getting there stage that make it difficult to tame." Esme took her first as I laughed at their apology. It wasn't a disaster to me. I loved the idea that she'd have her daddy's red tones and if it was wild like his, so be it. It made her even more of her daddy's girl.

"Where is Edward?" Carlisle asked as he waited for his turn.

I watched Esme fuss over her granddaughter with a smile. "He's with Juliet. I'm sure she's fine – she had a houseful of sitters, but he missed her."

His parents exchanged a proud smile with each other. "Of course he would. You must be missing her terribly too. It's a struggle with the second child because you've given your whole heart to the first one. That doesn't change. I swear you grow another just to accommodate the exact same amount of love for the next one. It's not shared, it's expanded."

Dammit! Esme made me cry. That was the perfect way to describe how I felt as my family expanded. I was a sappy mess when my next visitors arrived – Alice, my saviour the first time around with this experience and Dad, a very welcome novice.

* * *

**EPOV**

I was running on pure adrenaline with only a cat-nap overnight and not even a coffee in me yet. It didn't matter though – Bella was recovering, Nicole was perfect and I would get to love up Juliet any moment. I parked on the street since my garage and driveway was full of babysitters' cars. "I'm one lucky bastard," I murmured to myself as I dashed for the front door ready to love up my Sunshine.

"Dadad!" Juliet squealed the moment she saw me. She came running for me, her soft curls bouncing.

I bent to scoop her up. "Good morning Sunshine! How's my girl? Give me some loving." She kissed my cheek, as was our routine, and then giggled when I nuzzled against hers. "Is Daddy scratchy?" She rubbed at my stubble and nodded with a grin. "You're all squeaky clean and looking beautiful! How do you do it?"

"Bafftub Daddy!" she giggled.

"Ah! Of course in the bathtub. I need the bathtub too, I think. Did you have a good sleep? Funny dreams? Crazy dreams? Dreams that made you giggle?" Juliet had a habit of laughing in her sleep. I loved hearing her laugh any time, but when she laughed in her sleep it told me she was a very happy little girl. I carried her to the patio where she'd run in from to greet me. Charlie, Alice and Jasper were out there and flooded me with questions and congratulatory hugs.

"And how are you doing son?" Charlie asked after I supplied every detail of Bella and Nicole's well-being.

"I'm in desperate need of coffee and a shower," I sighed. "I don't want to leave Bella alone for too long. She's got a false sense of security because she's still being fed a morphine drip. Once the IV's out, her pain will get worse."

"Can I go?" Alice asked excitedly. "Is it late enough?"

I nodded with an appreciative grin. "That would be great. We'll take shifts so she's not overwhelmed with everyone there at once. And so Jazz isn't left alone." I tossed out the taunt and he took it with his usual grin.

"My contribution to this momentous event is home care. TCB on the Cullen homefront. It's coffee you want? I'm your man."

"Man!" Juliet sang out, repeating him. She loved Jasper.

"That's right, I'm your man! Just not with the potty, right?" They both held their noses and giggled together. "There was a little nugget incident this morning… Alice got to deal with that. Diapers are not my thing and I suck at potty training, apparently."

"He's good at refuelling her though," Charlie quipped, slapping him on the back. "She's been eating everything he offers."

Our support team was doing a fantastic job. Jasper got a few more morsels into my over-active daughter while I dined on eggs he had whipped up for me and had my second cup of coffee. She was happy to stay with him while I went to grab a shower. I used the main bathroom rather than my own since Rose and Emmett were still asleep in our bedroom. "Sleep while you can!" I muttered with a grin as I left them. They hadn't even stirred when I went in to get some fresh clothes.

"Okay Sunshine, ready to go see Mommy and the baby?" She was sitting on the floor with Jasper knocking down his block structures with glee.

She smiled widely and held her arms up to me as the blocks in her hand fell to the floor. With second thoughts she frowned and turned back to Jasper.

"I'll be just fine darlin'. You go see Mommy and Nicole. We can play later!"

Satisfied that he wasn't hurt by her leaving him alone with their project, she gave him a kiss and then held her arms back out to me. "Okay, let's get your Pull-Up on."

"NO Daddy!" Her face turned into a firm frown. I supressed the laugh that was caught in my throat. She looked so much like Bella when she was defiant, but it was rarely directed at me. At this stage, it was simply adorable.

"No?" I replied softly. "Did you just say no to me?"

"I'm a BIG girl!" Her arms folded across her chest. She was pretty sure of herself. Jasper buried his head as his body shook with laughter.

"You are a big girl, Sunshine. I know that. This is just in case… remember the other day when we went to the store?" Potty training was still in the early stages and she was doing really well but the last time I took her out she swore she didn't have to go and we weren't even to the end of the street and we had to turn around and come home for dry pants. I didn't know what was more of a challenge – the potty training itself or dealing with a mini Bella. And now I had two mini Bellas, double the fun.

Juliet tucked her head under my chin and gripped my shirt in the elevator when a fellow rider spoke to her. She always assumed this position when she was unsure of a situation. She did peek out around my shoulder to blow a kiss when we exited. Little flirt! We stopped at the nursery to let Juliet have a look at the babies through the glass – she blew them kisses too but as soon as the nurse waved at her, she played possum under my chin again. "Okay Sunshine. Time to see Mommy; she's been missing you like crazy!"

We walked in to a room full of people – Alice, Charlie, my mom and dad and a nurse were all there with Bella. I doubted Nicole had been set down at all since I left. Charlie was the current holder of the baby. My parents gave us quick hugs but they knew Bella was anxious for her first baby girl so they restrained their excitement and let me take her to the bed.

Juliet had a worried look on her face and I recalled that her mom had been in labour when she had last seen her. Such a sensitive little girl would remember her mommy not feeling well. "Mommy's better now, Sunshine. Go give her kisses and then you can meet Nicole." I set her beside Bella so she wouldn't press on her incision site and they hugged and kissed and giggled until Bella cried. Again. Oh boy…

"I think it's time to meet your new baby," Charlie suggested and stood to carry her over.

Juliet smiled with every tooth showing. "Baby!" She kissed Bella's belly.

Uh-oh. "Juliet… Sunshine… this is Our Baby. Her name is Nicole. She's your new sister. Isn't she pretty?"

She examined the baby in my arms, looked at Bella, then at me, then back at Bella and shook her head. "Baby!" She was pointing to Bella's tummy again.

"No honey, the baby's out of my belly. She's here now for all of us to see! We get to take her home and play with her…"

Juliet wasn't listening. She was staring at the flattened belly of her mom. Her hand reached out to rub it as she'd been doing for months and then a tear rolled down her cheek. "Mummah's baby!" And then she went into silent cry mode. Oh no…

"Juliet, baby, it's okay!" Bella cradled her, sore tummy be damned. "It's okay Sunshine. Our Baby is here, that's all. See? Grumpy's got Our Baby right there. Oh, now Daddy has Our Baby. See?"

Juliet shook her head. "No. NO! I want OUR Baby!"

Bella cringed as Juliet bounced on her. "Okay. Grumpy, can you take Nicole back for a second? Juliet and I are going for a little talk." This wasn't the reaction I had expected at all. I was completely unprepared for her to be traumatized.

I took her out into the hall and got her to stop crying. "Oh Sunshine, I know it's hard to understand. I didn't think we'd be having a 'where babies come from' talk for quite some time, but here's the basics… Our Baby, Nicole, grew inside of Mommy's tummy until she was ready to come out. You grew there too! That's when I met you, after you came out of Mommy. You were tiny and new, just like Nicole. You were actually smaller than Nicole. You wanted out of Mommy's belly so badly, you came out earlier than expected. So did your sister." I planted a kiss on Juliet's cheek. She was listening now. Really listening.

"You did such a great job, you and Mommy, taking care of her inside Mommy's belly that she wanted to come out and see who her wonderful big sister was who talked to her and gave her kisses and rubbed her back. That's what you were doing Sunshine… all the time you were talking to Mommy's belly, you were really talking to your little sister – Our Baby. She has a name now that we can see her and it's Nicole. Nicole is Our Baby, Sunshine. She's ours forever."

She gazed at me intensely, still pouting. "Mummah's Baby?" she asked quietly with a sniffle.

I nodded and choked back a sob of my own. "Nicole is Mummah's Baby. Just like you. Only smaller. Want to go see her now?"

She nodded, chewing on her lip. My mini Bella.

Bella had Nicole when we went back in and Alice moved from the chair by her side so I could sit with Juliet. "See Our Baby?" I whispered. "You can talk to her all you want now and you don't have to go through Mommy's tummy. Say 'hi Nicole!'"

"Hi Baby." Juliet's voice was soft as she eyed the bundle in her mother's arms. Everyone watched in silence. "Hi," she said again with a little more confidence. "Hi!" She frowned when Nicole just laid there. Bella was giggling.

"She can't talk yet sweetie. That's your job to teach her. But it's going to be a little while yet." I stroked her curls and cuddled her. "It doesn't mean she can't hear you though. Speak quietly… she knows you're her sister."

"Hi Baby," she whispered. "That's Mummah. And Dadad. Say Dadad Baby. Daaa… daaad…"

I turned to a complete freakin' puddle of goo, in front of all, without abandon and my Sunshine stroked my head as I buried it in my arms next to all my girls. Hormonal Bella had a rival in Unglued Edward. "Okay Dadad," Juliet whispered to me. "That's Our Baby."

"You're my baby too, Sunshine," I vowed to her. "Always."

* * *

_A/N ~ Thanks to everyone who is still pimping out DLT and to all new readers – I'm loving the comments!  
I am working on a DLT one-shot for The Twinklings, to be posted there in the upcoming weeks. Please watch for it. :D www. thetwinklings. blogspot. com (remove the spaces and away you go!) Thanks for reading._

_Also wanted to direct attention to a WIP that has my full interest (and the author just updated today! Yippie!) **Branching Inward **__by LifeInTheSnow. Not a Daddyward story, but the characters are utterly lovable and the story is beautifully written. Loving it!_


	3. Daddy Days

**A/N ~** **This was my donation chapter for Fandom4LLS. I'd like to thank the organizers for asking me to participate. I would also like to thank Illicit Writer for creating the ultimate banner for _Days at a Time_ for me. Beautifully done, and in record time. She's an amazing artist!**

**My usual cheerleading team of msj2779 and sshg316 pre-read and beta'd for me. Squishes and thanks to both. :D**

**And a zillion thanks to my faithful readers, and those still pimping and rec'ing DLT, along with these random DaaT chapters. If you haven't read this one yet, hope you enjoy this EPOV chapter!**

* * *

_**Daddy Days**_

**EPOV**

As much as I love my job, some days are just brutal. This was one of them. Every Friday, I went solo in my shared practice, which meant I was hopping from one exam room to the next the entire day. Bella was in the habit of bringing me lunch on Fridays, but I worked through lunch this time since she was leaving tonight for a two-day job. I don't think I had more than five minutes to myself all day, and even then I was dealing with paperwork. There was a rush of flu patients – always fun – several immunizations for very uncooperative children, and the lab was having technical issues. None of the tests I needed back were in until the very end of the day. Bella was edgy enough with leaving us for her weekend wedding shoot – me being detained at work was not a good thing.

All three of my girls rushed me at the door when I finally arrived at home, but instead of being overwhelmed, all of the stress drained out of me. This was what I lived for.

I promptly kissed all three beauties after kicking my shoes off. I picked Juliet up for her snuggles as Bella gave me the rundown on everyone's schedule. Again. It wasn't necessary, of course. I had my Post-It notes detailing everything I needed to know about the girls' meals and sleep times, as well as Bella's itinerary. I listened anyway, nodding when necessary. When she was finished, we traded girls so she could say goodbye to Juliet.

My two girls and I waved goodbye as Bella backed out of the driveway, heading out for the wedding in San Diego. She was due at the family dinner and was staying over for the morning shots with the bride before the ceremony. Yes, I loved my job. And yes, I loved my family. But I adored Daddy Days more than anything. Spending special time with only my baby girls was something I looked forward to. This time, I'd get an overnight! I was feeling downright giddy about it.

Bella had already fed the girls, but they sat with me while I ate – Juliet in a booster chair beside me with some sorbet and peach slices, and Nicole on my lap, fingers mashing away in my rice and peas.

"Are you feeding Daddy, Little Lolly?" I made a show of sucking on her fingers when she'd lift them up to show me her mess. Her lollipop mouth was stretched into a big gummy grin. She was drooling a lot lately. She'd be starting to teethe soon.

I pushed my plate out of reach when she discovered it was more fun to throw the rice than feed me. "You're getting a little too excitable for my liking. And your sister has rice in her hair. Is that nice?"

Juliet giggled when I pulled a piece out to show her. "No peas, Nicololly!" The Lolly name had stuck, not only because of her habit of sucking her mouth into a tiny 'O', but Juliet had struggled with saying Nicole. She could handle Lolly, but she was stubborn and wanted to master 'Nicole'. It came out in a ramble of both names. I loved it!

"Juliet doesn't like peas, Nicole. What do you think? Are they yummy? Or do they look better in her hair?"

Both hands flew to her hair to check for peas, and I burst out laughing. She was frowning at her baby sister, and I had to admit, she had her mom's death glare. Nicole simply laughed and thumped her hands on the table excitedly.

"You're safe, Sunshine. No peas."

I washed Nicole's hands off in the sink. Juliet then occupied her while I cleaned up the table and attempted to sweep sticky rice. I gave up on that, opting to let it dry out and take care of it later. It'd be gone by the time Bella came home – she'd never know.

I got down on the floor to play with them for a while before bath time. Their favourite game lately was build and destroy. Juliet had an extensive collection of building blocks, and she would construct towers while Nicole smashed them down. She'd get hands and feet into it – though, mostly feet. She was indeed a little kicker. Juliet was a much kinder big sister than Rosalie was. If I had purposefully destroyed something Rose had built, I wouldn't be alive to talk about it. Juliet handled it with grace. It was her idea to turn it into a game. I liked her attitude – knock down my construction, sure, but don't you dare put peas in my hair!

I promised her an extra-long bath for playing so nicely. She was a much bigger fan of the water than Nicole was, for sure. She had a Noah's Ark bath set that she happily played with for as long as we'd permit, so I used this as my opportunity to fold laundry. I emptied the drier while the water ran, bringing the full basket into the bathroom with us. Nicole happily chewed on a toy in her chair on the floor, Juliet splashed away with her toys, and I sat on the toilet – folding and stacking into another basket like a pro. I knew I'd need some towels to mop up the floor, so I had a full pile ready on the counter. She smiled at me impishly when I completed my task.

"No spills, Daddy!"

"Oh! My, my! You did do very well, Sunshine! We need to wash your hair so it's all pretty for tomorrow. We don't want any rice growing in there, do we?"

Staring up at me with the most serious expression, she shook her head. "No rice, Nicololly!"

I was attempting to soothe her and reassure her that the rice would not grow in her hair when the phone rang. Bella had promised to call when she arrived in San Diego. I brought it into the bathroom with us, chatting while I set Nicole up in her chair so I could get some hair-washing in. I had the phone cradled between my ear and shoulder while I scrubbed softly. I relayed the details of our evening so far. Bella was feeling homesick already.

"It's not like that first time I left Juliet, but it's still bad," she informed me. "I had to pull over just before the city. My boobs decided they missed Little Lolly."

I chuckled softly. "Did you treat everyone driving by on the highway to a free show? Wish I could be so lucky." Building blocks were all right, but Bella's boobies were probably my favourite plaything.

"I can cancel… come back home and you could get lucky."

"Ugh! Don't tease me! Besides, you want to do this, Bella. You love your work. You'll be happier once you get into it. You won't even notice that it's an out-of-town job."

"Oh, I'll notice when you're not snoring beside me tonight."

"Call back and I'll snore for you," I taunted. I would, though. I'd do anything for Bella.

"Mm-hmm. Right. Bet you'll have two other girls in bed with you…" Her light laughter warmed my heart.

"You know me so well. I've got a brunette and a redhead here already waiting."

"Bet they're gorgeous, too."

"Knock-outs. Now, go do your thing and don't worry about us. We'll miss you, but go have some fun, baby. Go work!" I finished rinsing off Juliet's head and encouraged her to say it with me before we said our 'I love yous'.

"Go work, Mummah!"

The pouty lip came out when I told Juliet it was time for her to get out of the tub. It was always my undoing, but she was getting pruney, so I hauled her out anyway. "Your toes look like little raisins, Juliet! I may have to eat them!" The pout was replaced with giggles as I nibbled, and then she helped me get Nicole ready for her bath.

"This we'll need the towels for!" I announced as I held a naked Nicole over her baby tub. Despite the smaller tub being placed inside the regular tub and only containing a couple of inches of water, she always managed to soak me and the floor. Her feet never stopped!

Juliet nodded and draped one over herself so her pyjamas wouldn't get wet. Smart girl.

Typically, Nicole woke up around five, when I'd be getting up for work. She would normally go back to sleep for a few hours after a feeding. I had corralled them into my bed, so when she woke, I took her out to the living room so we wouldn't wake Juliet. That was it for her. She decided not to go back to sleep for me. Showering would be rough.

I contemplated calling my sister to ask her and Emmett to come early. Every Saturday, we took Juliet to a playgroup and I didn't want her to miss it. Today, they were going to put on a little show for the parents. Rosalie wanted to watch, and Bella wanted all of it recorded, so they were bringing their baby and joining me and my girls for the day. I decided against waking them. If their son, Masen, was sleeping, more power to them. Nicole was guaranteed to get cranky mid-morning after missing her sleep. We didn't need two fussy babies out with us.

Breakfast was a disaster. Juliet wanted eggs, and if we could get her to eat anything other than rice, meatballs, and cold cereal, we did whatever was necessary. If my Sunshine wanted eggs, she would have eggs. I snuck tiny bits of spinach and ham into a soy cheese mixture for omelettes. In the meantime, Nicole decided she wanted food, too. Bella was into this homemade crap, buying organics from Whole Foods to make her own baby food. I loved her for the effort, but really, was it that much different than the jarred foods? The jars that were clearly labelled? Bella had a system for the small containers of food in the fridge, I knew it. I had even written her instructions down. Where was that sticky note?

"It should be on the fridge! That's where a sticky note pertaining to food should go," I grumbled as I went to check out my note center. Bella insisted on me using the bulletin board by the garage door for all my notes, tired of seeing them scattered around the house. It seemed like a small concession. Times like this, it really sucked. There had to be fifty, or more, sticky notes attached to the board. Huffing in quiet frustration, I began pouring over them.

Nicole screamed from her highchair. Juliet had the TV on. Loud. _Baby Einstein: Neptune Discovers Water_, by the sound of it. I could play Handel's rendition on the piano much quieter than she had it blasting from the TV. Normally it was soothing. Today, I wanted to pull my hair out. "Sunshine, could you turn that down, please?"

No response. Nicole screeched out from the kitchen. "Coming Lolly! Just a sec! Daddy's looking for something… Juliet! Can you please turn that off and go talk to Nicole for a minute?" My voice was raised; it had to be in order to be heard over the raucous sounds in my house at the moment.

Nicole screeched again. Handel shut up. And Juliet bellowed. "Daaaaadddddy!"

I dropped all notes and ran into a kitchen of billowing smoke. "Shhhh-ugar!" I grabbed an oven mitt to remove the smoking pan on the burner and tossed it into the sink while I threw the windows open. The smoke detector went off.

Of course.

Nicole wailed, and Juliet took over screeching. Then the phone rang.

"Shit!" I turned abruptly to my girls. "Sorry, girls. Daddy's upset. You didn't hear that." I grabbed the phone and ran to open up the patio doors to let out some more of the smoke. It was the alarm monitoring company.

_Of course. _

"Yeah, yeah… everything's fine here! I'm just cooking. My wife's away. I'm making breakfast. My baby's crying. The TV is on. It's a disaster." I raked my hand through my hair. "No, I don't need the fire department. Thank you. I need a drive-thru. Clearly. I'm not normally this useless. I make a mean omelette, honestly. It's just, the baby was up so early, and Baby Einstein can be soooo… ugh. I'm just not in the mood for it. And my daughter wanted eggs… which I can do –" I realized the person on the other end was trying to get my attention, and I stopped rambling.

"Password? Uh… yeah. Just a sec…" I ran back to my notes. No, I wouldn't have that posted. _Think, think!_ Juliet started tugging on my shorts. "Just a sec, Sunshine. Daddy's trying to remember the password. I do know it. I have a really horrible memory. Ask my wife."

"Eggs, Daddy!"

"When I'm finished here, Juliet. We'll make more eggs. Why can't I remember this? Oh god! What happens if I don't –"

"Daddad! EGGS!"

"Eggs, I know! In a –" I slapped my forehead and picked up Juliet with a huge grin. "Eggs! The password… it's 'scrambled eggs'! My two-year-old has a better memory than me." I chuckled, embarrassed. "I'm really sorry to have disturbed you with this. I'll be more attentive."

Disconnecting the call, I smothered Juliet with kisses. "You, my Sunshine, are a life saver! Smarty pants!" She wiggled around in my arms as my morning scruff scratched her soft skin.

As it happens, she also knew what Nicole was supposed to have for breakfast, and how to find it in Bella's carefully stacked fridge. She was happy to wait five minutes until I could feed Nicole some of her cereal and fruit mixture before attempting another omelette. By the time it was ready, Juliet decided she wanted Cheerios instead.

When I gave her a look of exasperation, she bit on her lip and scowled at me. Mini Bella sat at the table. I knew once Bella had her mind set on a food, there was no changing it. Juliet was no different. I poured a bowl of Cheerios and set it in front of her, taking the omelette for myself. I longed for real cheese again – not this soy crap. It didn't melt properly. Tasted like… nothing. Nicole slammed her hands on her tray, ready for more food herself. One spoon for her, one forkful of crappy fake-cheese omelette for me. She was going to town on her pureed breakfast, I wondered if I should open another container. Scraping the bottom, her mouth was still opening wide for more, so I grabbed another from the fridge. Did it really matter what mush it was?

She grabbed hold of my omelette while I was up. It was closer to scrambled eggs with chunks of spinach and white shit in it when I stared down at my plate. Juliet's Cheerios were looking better by the second. I popped the lid off the new container, and so help me, I don't know how or why, but it opened sideways. The contents flew out and across the table. Some landed in the Cheerios. The rest, in Juliet's hair.

"Daddaaaad!" she wailed. "Peas!"

That's when the doorbell rang. _Fuck!_

I grabbed a dishrag and wiped what I could off of Juliet. She was mortified and doing the silent cry. I picked her up in one arm and dislodged Nicole's tray one-handed to unstrap her. I ran with a girl in each arm to the door.

"Good morn—ning." Emmett stood outside with Masen and a big grin. His eyes dropped as his brow lifted. "Always answer the door that way?"

Yeah, I was still in my boxers. Thank fuck it was Emmett at the door, not a random subscription peddler or someone needing my services. "We're… having issues this morning. I haven't even pissed… SORRY! You didn't hear that!"

"Is that smoke?" Emmett's nose wrinkled as he stepped in.

"Shut it, Em. Seriously. You don't want to know what I've been through this morning. Where's Rosalie?"

"Uh… about that. Rosie had some bad seafood. She's sick as a dog, dude."

"She's not coming?" Panic started to arise in me.

Emmett mimed violent puking. "Dude. It's nasty."

"Fu—dge." I dropped my head in defeat. I couldn't even let out a good 'fuck' when I needed to.

"You didn't hear that," Emmett teased as he tickled Juliet's chin and planted a kiss on Nicole's head. "Ew! What's in your hair, Juliet? You get into Daddy's hair goop?"

"Ha-ha, motherfu— Funny, Em. I told you we're having a bad morning. I'm gonna have to give her another bath. Can you take Nicole for me?" Realizing I was being a lousy uncle, I paused to give some attention to my nephew. "Hey, Masen! How's my little Star? Got smiles for me?" Masen had earned the nickname, Star, because at the age of two weeks, he began whistling in his sleep. He could do an entire concert. We'd spent hours watching him, and trying to pick out names of tunes to his nasal music. He smiled for me. He looked so much like Em when he smiled. He had his personality by the look of it, too. God help my sister.

After getting the peas cleaned out of Juliet's hair and the tear streaks off her cheeks, I let her choose her outfit for the day. A sundress. In January. We had a small battle over that and compromised, with Juliet agreeing to wear a jacket 'like Aunt Alice's' and accepting my insistence on tights. She did look cute.

I then had the world's quickest shower. It's not that I didn't trust Emmett – he was proving to be a much better father than I'd ever thought he'd be. But three babies were a lot to handle. I didn't want him to get burned out before we even left the house. My Sunshine would have to take me unshaven. There simply wasn't time.

We took my car. "It's a Volvo, dude. It's meant to house a crapload of kids." No other reason why I kept the car I detested. I still missed my old Fox, but I'd do the Volvo thing for my girls. If that didn't prove my devotion to them, I don't know what would.

When we arrived at the school that hosted the playgroup, Emmett managed to surprise and amuse me. He was ahead of me, only having one baby to remove from the car seat. I got Juliet out first and then went to work on Nicole. When I shut the door, I looked across at Em on the opposite side.

"Dude. Is that…?" I twirled my finger around, pointing at him.

"It's a baby pouch, Edward," he replied in all seriousness. "I can go hands-free! It's awesome!"

I quirked a sardonic eyebrow at him. "I'm aware of what it is, McCarty. What boggles my mind is seeing you in the very contraption you took great pains to mock me about. For months. Ring any bells?"

His cheeks reddened as his grin grew. "Yeah, well… I didn't realize… Besides, Rosie makes me use it. She's afraid I'll get distracted and drop Masen."

"Uh-huh." I slapped him on the back as we started across the parking lot. I was going pouch-free. Nicole was in my arms, and Juliet held both of our hands as she skipped along between us. "By the way, what is this thing you put on Nicole's head?"

"It's a hairband, Edward. Poor kid's got your hair! Juliet looks so pretty, I thought we could fancy up Nicole as well." He shrugged as if doing little girls' hair was any everyday occurrence for him.

"I don't put stupid things on your kid's head," I countered.

"It's not stupid. It's pretty."

"It's stupid. It makes her hair puff out around it. And the colour is wrong."

Emmett used his free hand to extract his phone, snapping a picture.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna ask Alice what she thinks!"

I grumbled as we waited for the verdict and then did a victory whoop when she confirmed it was all wrong for my Little Lolly. It was in my pocket in a flash, and she looked much happier. I was even granted a slightly off-kilter grin as she stared up at me in appreciation. "I know, sweetheart. That's what Daddy is for," I whispered to her. "Uncle Em's half-bald anyway. What does he know about hair?"

"Hey, now!"

I cackled and gave my best friend a shove inside. He was taken aback at the chaos in there, and I laughed some more. "Not so self-assured now, are ya?"

The fucker adapted in no time. Being two of the only men in the place, women swarmed him as he offered glowing smiles and advice on breast feeding. Oh yes, he deemed himself quite the expert on the subject even though _I_ was the one who'd taken a stupid class on it. My sister slapped him when he pulled this shit around her, but alas, Rosie was MIA.

"Em," I called out, tugging him away from his harem momentarily. "Can you take Nicole for a minute? The girls are doing a little dance thing today, and Bella wants me to tape it for her. I have to set up the camera and get Juliet settled in the group. You okay with that?"

He heartily agreed, shifting Masen a little off-center and taking Nicole in his arm. Nicole was older, but Masen was a tank. He was slightly bigger and had blue eyes and blond peach fuzz in contrast to my sweetie's red hair and green eyes, but the way they interacted made them appear to be twins. Emmett harvested another harem at the sight of him with two babies. I chuckled and left him to it.

Juliet was chewing on her lip and shifting from foot to foot. I wasn't sure if it was nerves, or if she had to pee. I stopped fidgeting with the camera to confer.

"Sunshine, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. We can watch and maybe you'll feel better about it next time."

Her brow furrowed in her determined look. "I do it, Daddy!"

I gave her cheek a big kiss and told her how proud I was. I pointed over to Emmett to show her where I'd be sitting. As I approached him, I heard words I never thought I'd hear from him.

"Looks like I'm the mommy today! Edward's got our other one setting up for a dance – oh, hey! You're back! I saved you a seat. You okay with the camera, or do you want me to do it? I know you get all emotional and stuff. It might be shaky with you filming and crying simultaneously."

I looked at him, and the women with curious smiles, and then back at Em. "Thanks, I'll be fine. You're all right with both babies?"

One of the women bent down between us and stage whispered, "I just want you know that I think it's great what you're doing! Lots of couples are adopting a baby nowadays, but for you two to take three? Wow! You must have had surrogates, am I right? They babies look so much like you! It's funny though, one looks like yours, and the other is just like your partner! So sweet! Good luck, guys. I really mean it!"

"Thanks!" Emmett beamed brightly. I kicked at his foot and scowled at him.

"You do know she thinks we're a gay couple."

He shrugged, laughing as he cooed to the babies. I glanced at the women on his other side. They were all staring and still smiling knowingly.

"That's my daughter up there," I told them, pointing out Juliet. "And this one, too. The little guy is his. He's my brother-in-law." They nodded and one of them gave me a wink. "He's married. To my sister. My wife is away on business. She's a photographer. You've probably seen us here. Together. My wife and I."

"Stop rambling, Edward. Get the camera ready or you'll miss the first bit!"

The women chuckled and turned away. I swear I heard them say how cute our lover's spat was. This shit used to be funny – it's not like this was the first time people had thought we were gay. It happened to us quite often, just after we finished university. I have no idea why. We'd just laugh it off. Gay, straight, bi… sexual orientation made no difference to me. What people do in the bedroom is their business. It used to amuse me, but it was different now that the babies were involved. I wondered what Bella would have to say about it. Surely things would be weird when we showed up together. I was a little put off that they didn't recognize me from my previous visits anyway. Fucking Emmett.

"Easy, Daddy. You're getting that little line between your eyebrows."

I glared at my bro. "How do you suppose Bella will take the news? Are we sharing custody?"

He chuckled, nudging my leg with his.

"Don't do that stuff, Em! Seriously!" I hissed at him.

"Relax, dude. Bella will get a kick of it, I'm sure. She's cool. You're an uptight poo-poo head right now."

Emmett was full of surprises today. That comment cracked me up. I had to settle down fast when the music began. He was right; I was liable to be shaky seeing my little girl up there.

I took a wide shot of the group to begin with and then zoomed in on our girl. Juliet was staring at her feet, frowning in concentration, but when she looked up I could see her little lip begin to quiver. _Oh no! Don't cry, Sunshine! You can do it! Look over here! Look at Daddad!_

I fought to keep my pleas silent so I wouldn't ruin the recording for Bella. Emmett was bouncing the babies on his chest, trying to get Juliet's attention on us. All right, he could stay. I grinned to myself as it actually worked.

"Daddad! I do it!" Juliet hollered out with a wave as she bounced up and down with the other girls. They hopped and twirled and hopped some more. To them, it was a well-choreographed dance, to us parents, it was too precious for words. I hoped Bella wouldn't mind my chuckles on the tape. I tried not to, but it just couldn't be helped.

She was over her shyness when the music ended, pulling one of the other girls back onto the floor for a little freelance dancing. I kept the tape running for Bella as I focused on not being a pussy and openly crying. The women already thought I was gay, but according to Emmett, I was the daddy. I shouldn't tear up.

When I turned the camera off, I looked over at Em, who was misty-eyed himself. I couldn't resist taunting him. "You know, I'm gonna come to all of Masen's little league games and cry my heart out." I threw an arm around his chair, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't you dare do that shit at a game!" he whispered in a hiss.

"Shhh! You two didn't hear that!" I kissed our babies – both of them – before taking Nicole off his hands. "Let's go get your big sister, sweetheart. She did so well! She looked like a princess up there! One day, that'll be you! Or would you rather play ball? You can do that, too! Or paint! Maybe you'll be an artist or a musician! A singer? Whatever you want to do, sweet Lollipop, I'll be here watching you."

Juliet threw her arms around us as I stooped to congratulate her. "Nicololly! Did you see me? I dance!" She did another spin for us, so proud of herself. I should have brought flowers for her. Hmmm. Bella didn't care for flowers with her allergies, but it would have been a nice touch for my Sunshine. _Next time._

Emmett had to get Masen home for a feeding, but I wanted to check in on Rosalie. We stopped at my house to grab a bottle of Bella's milk for Nicole, as well as her mushy lunch, and proceeded on. Rose looked positively green when I went in to see her.

"Oh, muffin!" I emoted.

"Fuck off. I feel like shit, Edward."

"I know, honey. I brought you some chicken broth. Bella made it before she left. She puts it in Nicole's food." If it was possible, she turned greener than my eyes. "Too soon?"

Her tummy protested loudly as she nodded. I gave her some tablets to help eliminate the gas build up in her empty stomach, and kissed her head as she threw her arms around my waist. "Thanks, Fuckface. You're too good to me."

"I know it. Now lose the potty mouth. You've got a hungry little boy out there."

"Bring him in?"

I eased away from her. "No way. It reeks in here. Come on. I have to feed Nicole, too. We'll set you up on the couch. Air you out a bit. We'll bond with our breast milk and babies."

She rolled her eyes at me as I helped her stand. "I truly believe that if you could produce breast milk, you would, little brother."

"I know it." I laughed too. A pussy for sure.

Rather than going home for a repeat of the morning disaster, we hung out for the remainder of the day. Rosalie felt slightly better after getting some crackers and chicken broth down. I watched the babies while Emmett helped her have a shower. Juliet ate every morsel Emmett put on her plate at dinner time. And it wasn't rice or meatballs. Nicole didn't throw food at all. Masen ate his own dinner and then finished off the extras I'd brought in case my Lollipop was still as hungry as she was at breakfast. A tank. Just like his dad.

We settled in to watch Juliet's show before we left. Emmett was reclined, almost asleep with his goofy grin on. Rose sat beside me with Masen on her lap. Her head rested against my shoulder as she placed soft kisses on Nicole's head. My Little Lolly was nestled into my chest, head tucked under my chin, just as Juliet had liked when she was that age. Juliet bounced beside me on the couch as she watched herself on TV. She requested a replay so she could re-enact it.

Emmett was asleep by the end. Rosalie gazed up at me, so fucking content. She had a little colour in her cheeks now, and she looked beautiful with her baby boy. "I love our lives, Fuckface," she whispered to me. "Shhh! They didn't hear that."

Juliet finished her dance and clapped for herself. Always a little ham. Always my beautiful Sunshine. "I love our lives too, sis. Wouldn't change a thing."

* * *

_**A/N ~ Just wanted to mention that I will begin posting a new story soon. The Edward in my new one is very different from confident baby-lovin' Daddyward of DLT, but I do hope you'll join us and watch him grow as he discovers true love. Thank you ever so much for your support. XX ~ SR**_


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